Craigs First Scottish Salmon

This picture, taken in August 2021, just after the heavy rains, shows Craig Blacks fine grilse taken on an olive from lower beat 4. It measured 55cms or 22.6 inches. Charts would suggest it would have weighed in at around 4 & 1/2 to 5lbs. Alan Ayre and I studied the picture and concluded a salmon. Well done Craig!

3 thoughts on “Craigs First Scottish Salmon

    1. Hi David, Alan Ayre and I had a good long look at the picture as initially we thought it was a sea trout, To be fair there are quite a few dark spots below the mid line of the fish, but the tail has an arrow shape, a sea trouts is square, the neck of the tail is slim, a sea trouts is generally thicker, and perhaps most tellingly was the position of the eye relative to the lower jaw, a sea trout would extend further back. Unfortunately the photo does not permit an accurate count of the scales obliquely from the adipose fin to the centre line and this would have confirmed either way. So we leaned towards a grilse. It looks fresh but still quite slim and the photo does not allow a look at the vent to see in which direction it was headed. Again we leaned towards heading upstream.No matter, its a tourist and a welcome one at that!

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